I'm playing along with my first Time Out Challenge! A perfect challenge for New Year's Eve...

I accepted the optional twist, and made a card featuring bottle brush trees from Hero Arts' "Family and Friends" clear stamp set...

I stamped the trees in Versamark then embossed them with white, gold, and silver powder. Added the Filagree Snowflake Background over the top with white pigment ink.

I cut out a circle for the moon at the top and added a sentiment from Hero Arts' "Banners and Messages" clear set, then embossed in silver. Lots of mini pearls and rhinestones to finish it off. What a fun challenge this was!

Friday, December 29, 2017

I decided to make a thank you card for someone who has shown me kindness this year!

This card was so hard for me to keep CAS! I ended up adding the Sizzix folder embossed background because I just couldn't leave it white all alone, lol!

The pretty flowers are from Reverse Confetti's "Blooms 'N Buds" and a sentiment stamp from Hampton Art. I traced over the letters a bit with a white pencil to make it look more like a chalkboard. I was almost done, but then I just had to add 5 teeny tiny pearls to round out my card!

I chose to use Lawn Fawn's adorable "Love You a Latte" set and a sentiment from their "Hello Friend" set for my card. I watercolored the doughnuts and coffee cup, then die cut them. I stamped PTI's Background Basics: Hearts in Versamark, heat embossed with white powder, then washed over the top with pink watercolor.

Added some sparkly sugar to the pink doughnuts. There's a soft circle background on the main panel made with a circle stencil and Tim Holtz Weathered Wood Distress ink. Some baker's twine seemed fitting, too:)!

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

This month at Papertrey Ink, the blog hop theme was to make a project inspired by this lovely floral photo seen here:

I also took inspiration from Betsy's window card with Bloom & Grow mixed with Window Works seen HERE, and made a heart window card using her set Bloom Grow mini kit, too...

I stamped and stenciled the heart bouquet in the kit and cut it out with the die, then placed it behind a heart window cut with the Shakers & Sprinkles Kit heart die that I popped up with dimensional tape.

Behind the heart is a piece of white cardstock that I stenciled over with texture paste. Had this sitting on my desk from long ago and finally found a place to put it!

Lastly, I added some Crystal Snow glitter details to the flowers, and a sentiment from the kit.

A clean and simple card with lots of white space to mirror all of that frigid white snow outside my window today :)! Thanks for hopping by!

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

I was so excited to get to be the Guest Star Stamper this week at the Color Throwdown Challenge blog! The colors I got to play with are de-licious. Check them out...

That's pink, green, kraft and white, yummy!

I used the Shaker Shapes:Tree die from Papertrey Ink and some pastel patterned papers from DCWV...

The sentiment inside says "Holly Jolly" from a Verve Stamps set. Filled the shaker with iridescent snowflakes and some mini clear sequins. The holly at the top is made with holly dies from Tinsel & Tags, and a hole punch.

Our "Schirmer" side Christmas is next Sunday, so I took the opportunity to make some tags for our nieces Emily & Mariel, and our great nieces, Maggie and Kate!

Used 2-sided patterned paper and a Memory Box Pocket Gift Tag die. Think the pocket will fit a Ghirardelli chocolate square, too. The letters are really easy to line up... and make people think I have excellent scripty handwriting! :)

I used PTI's Rustic Wreath and cut out and glued together 3 wreaths from some glossy embossed papers. Pulled the leaves up to add dimension and added some little punched gold circles and red Liquid Pearls.

A mini tag stamped with an image from Waltzingmouse Stamps "Teeny Trees" set. I could make these all day! Thanks Nichol for your inspiring design!

Saturday, December 9, 2017

This week at Papertrey Ink, Betsy had the coolest tutorial about making pine trees using a fan brush and watercolors! I had to try it out! My card also fits the theme for this week's CASology challenge...

Here is my card...

I actually didn't have a true fan brush, but I did have some bigger (or smushed?) watercolor brushes that did the trick. I sponged the background with Tim Holtz Distress inks in blues, splattered some water on the paper, then used watercolors in a tube and mixed some blue/green colors together.

I splattered on some white acrylic paint mixed with water for the snow, and added a sentiment from the Winter Village stamp set in Jet Black Stazon ink. Was so glad to have my MISTI, because it needed several impressions to get full coverage over all the background paint!

Lastly, I painted more white acrylic paint lightly on the bottom, then sprinkled it with Crystal Snow glitter before it dried, and added a few glitter touches on the branches using a glue pen.

I feel like Bob Ross! This was so much fun, and anyone can do it! Thanks, Betsy!

Sunday, December 3, 2017

I'm participating in my first ever challenge round at CASology! This week the theme IS round!

I thought a snowman made with its three round snowballs would do the trick...

I used PTI's Stitched Circle Tag die and a snowman die and mini stamp set by Sizzix, which I got last year from Simon Says Stamp. I couldn't pass up some big polka-dotty paper for this challenge!

I stamped a sentiment from one of my favorite sets of all time, "It's a Wonderful Life" by A Muse Studio, then embossed it with silver powder to match his silver hat. Keeping with the round theme, I added pom pom snowballs for my embellishment.

I will definitely be back to play another round at CASology, so much inspiration to be had there!

I used Stampin Up's brick embossing folder to make an igloo scene (inside and out :))

I tried my hand at watercoloring that little penguin. Still need A LOT of practice lol! I used Delicata gold ink for the fire and marshamallows, and grey and black watercolors for the penguin. The ice bricks are glittered at the edges, and so is Mr. Penguin :).

Sunday, November 26, 2017

An absolutely stunning inspiration photo at the Fusion Card Challenge Blog this week! It's called Red Christmas, and makes me want to go out and buy a white pitcher and some babies breath and berries :)!!

I ended up making two cards for the challenge...

This is actually my second card, because my first wasn't doing it for me with the color scheme I chose. For this one, I went with a warmer look, like the photo...

I used WPlus9 Studio's "Very Merry" set and berries from Fresh Cut Florals. Used PTI's Picnic Plaid Impression plate, too. Glitter, red and white Liquid Pearls, and Glossy Accents dotted all over on both cards!

My first card uses the same stamp sets, but I went for more of a bold, chalkboard look (thought there had to be a chalkboard sign in that quaint kitchen someplace)! The woodgrain impression plate is from A Muse Studio. Some white pencil accents around the sentiment to make it look chalk-y :)!

Back to work tomorrow, but hoping I get to keep playing along with all of these awesome holiday challenges, my favorite time of year to stamp!